Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Conspiracy Theories and the Derangement of Political Discourse

Does this prove Trump is a member of the Illuminati?

There's much that can be posted on this subject, but I will just minimize it to the three articles below for reflection on this issue, introducing people to the ridiculousness of anti-Trump conspiracy theories, similar to anti-Obama conspiracy theories of the past. However, it seems like a new conspiracy theory surfaces every day (at least) these days, that it is difficult to keep up with them. These are nothing but the result of the deep hatred people have in their hearts for anyone opposing their ideologies, to the point where they would demonize their opposition.

1. Trump's Critics Falling for Conspiracy Theories

By Tom Bailey

Bannon is no more a fascist than Obama was a Marxist.

When Obama was first elected in 2008, sections of the US right went into overdrive to prove that behind the smooth talking and smile there was something more sinister. Some conservative media outlets believed Obama was secretly a radical socialist – a Marxist, even. Tied to him were said to be various radical left-wing people, groups and ideologies....

Now though, the new president seems to be the subject of such conspiracy theorising, with webs being spun that include members of his administration and neo-reactionary and fascist philosophers. Only this time the conspiracy theories come from the left. Where some right-wingers tried to implicate Obama in a communist conspiracy, some leftists seem intent on proving the existence of a fascist conspiracy. Chiefly, this has focused around the supposed dark influence of Stephen Bannon, the former boss of Breitbart News and now Trump’s chief strategist.

He hasn’t flip-flopped so much as he has formed policies on issues about which he was vague during the campaign.

The inability of the Left and the alt-right to view Trump’s decisions outside the context of conspiracy theories illustrates the derangement of political discourse. Explaining President Donald Trump’s willingness to abandon positions he took during the election campaign now that he’s in office shouldn’t be that difficult. Those not overthinking the problem understand that Trump cares nothing for consistency or ideology. But that hasn’t stopped many on both ends of the political spectrum from interpreting his changes of heart on Syria, Russia, and China solely through a conspiratorial mindset in which he can be depicted as either Moscow’s puppet or the cat’s-paw of Wall Street or of his son-in-law Jared Kushner. In doing so, they are showing us that our political culture’s most toxic problem isn’t so much the fault of a president who doesn’t conform to traditional behavior as it is polarized ideologues whose only answer to a complex and confusing world is to see it through the prisms of their own bogeymen.

What's drawn less attention is how Trump's presidency has convinced liberals that every bad thing whispered about any Republican is, by default, true. Consider that in the last week alone, liberal outrage has been sparked on (at least) four occasions by alleged incidents that simply aren't accurate.